Academics incensed by the Sharon government's policies towards
the Palestinians have tried to use Israel's close research links
with the European Union and the European Science Foundation as leverage.
One of the chief campaigners is Professor Steven Rose, of the Open
University, a Jew who lost relatives in the Holocaust. He floated
proposals for a boycott in a letter to the Guardian that criticises
military reoccupation of Palestinian territories and human rights
violations. This has been signed by more than 750 European academics.

Professor Steven
Rose (Open University, UK)

"Under these circumstances," writes Professor Rose, "I
can no longer... cooperate with official Israeli institutions, including
universities. I will attend no scientific conferences in Israel,
and I will not participate as referee in hiring or promotion decisions
by Israeli universities, or in the decisions of Israeli funding
agencies..."

Professor Hilary
Rose (City University, UK)

His wife, Professor Hilary Rose, of City University, said: "What
you are seeing is a huge, intense debate going on all over academic
life." She said she had pulled out of a European conference
on science and gender to which she was passionately committed because
an Israeli delegation had been invited.

Newsnight Report

Newsnight starts by talking to Steven Rose about the campaign and
this is followed by a panel discussion hosted by Jeremy Paxman with
Professor Hilary Rose succesfully defending the academic boycott
with Dr Aaron Benavot (Hebrew University of Jerusalem) and Professor
Marc Eisenstadt (Open University, UK) attacking.

[ * A streaming real-video
of the programme was available on the BBC
website but unfortunately its been replaced by the latest
edition of newsnight. (If an archive site exists, its worth
knowing that the boycott report starts 32min in to the programme)
]